Alternate Jaylos
by Skypan
Summary: I started doing A-Z Jaylos and I realized that there might be more than one really good idea for each letter, so I'll be putting my alternate writings about Jaylos here! Feel free to request. Rated T just in case, who knows what might happen?
1. Chapter 1

Alternate Jaylos Bullied

On the Isle of the Lost where the only citizens are villains, meanness is to be expected. Values are taught backwards. Being good is bad, and being bad is good. However, some people take it to the next level even there. None of the parents were very loving, but most provide food and clothing and shelter for their young, maybe even a little affection every now and again.

Carlos de Vil has had it the worst, and most of the villains can see it. He wears long sleeves, even in the summer, for some reason he always seems to have foundation in his bag, and to be honest the boy is just a little _too_ thin. The other kids have no idea what kind of demons Carlos has at home though. All the other kids know is that he is small, he is weak, and that he doesn't fight back.

Carlos is used to people hurting him; he had come to accept it really. Sure he has friends (or at least allies) too; his mom is friends with three other villains who have kids so they're thrown together a lot. They had come to be a little gang of their own. But even so, he was always waiting for one of them to scream at him, slap him, to punish him for something. That's what his mom does, and that's what a few of the older kids at school had started doing. Why bother telling anyone? Who would help a runt like him?

By high school he has skin wrapped in scars that he constantly has to hide, a mountain of anxiety from the feeling of constantly being attacked, and a major crush on his best friend. He's a little bit of a genius, so he does the homework for a lot of his grade in return for slightly lighter beatings. He's still never spoken about the bullying to his friends, he just assumes they would tell him that he deserved it or to just man up. No, they would never find out just what kind of hell Carlos is living in.

Until one day…

"You are nothing and don't you ever forget it." Carlos is on the floor, his eyes closed from pain. His senses are swimming and he's starting to feel cold from loss of blood. But from the sounds of the ranting, the beating is just about over. It's worse than normal and Carlos worries that he'll have trouble getting all of his homework and chores done tonight.

He hears the footsteps of the three guys who had jumped him start walking away. He waits until they're totally gone to move. Very, very slowly he sits up, wincing from the way his body protests. He opens his eyes and quickly locates his backpack where he stashed it behind the trashcan when he heard the guys coming for him. He pulls it over and opens it, taking a small cardboard box from inside. First he surveys the damaged: He'd have bruises on his face tomorrow no doubt, but they probably won't show up for a while so they aren't priority. He has cuts and gashes on his arms and back which would need to be disinfected and bandaged. Nothing seemed to be broken luckily, and they had avoided his legs knowing that he always wore shorts, a trick he had picked up years ago so that at least part of him will be protected.

Carlos sighs and uses the wall to pull him up. He walks as quickly as he can (very slowly) to the nearest bathroom and wets down a dirty rag from his box. Pulling back his sleeves, he winces and begins to clean up his cuts. He's so immersed in his work and the person entering the room is so naturally quiet that he doesn't know he's there, until-

"Hey C, where were you last period-"Jay freezes as Carlos whips around (and immediately regrets it). Jay lets out a few choice curse words and grabs Carlos's hand to look at his arm. "What happened? Who did this to you?" He seems furious, there's a fire in his eyes Carlos has only ever seen before when he's defending Evie from creepy guys or Mal from… Well, herself.

"I, uh… I don't remember," Carlos responds weakly. "But it's alright, just as long as I get cleaned up before going home."

He sounds so calm and matter of fact that Jay's heart breaks a little. Then he notices something. What seem to be faint scars all along Carlos's arm and now that he looks closer, his face and neck. Jay grabs the rag from Carlos's hand and starts running it along his hands and arms, up to his neck and over his jaw.

"No, Jay, don't please! I'm fine, it's all fine, I just need to finish, please stop-"Carlos is pleading, terrified of Jay finding out his secret. He's been keeping this hidden for so long, he can't let people find out now.

Jay sees scars upon scars as well as fading bruises and newer ones. He feels sick, Carlos might as well be a voodoo doll his skin is criss-crossed with so many scars and blooming so many colors. "How long?" He chokes out.

"I don't know what you mean?" Carlos tries despite himself.

Jay glares at him, and though the anger isn't focused on him, it's still intimidating. "How. Long." He repeats.

"M-my whole life…" Carlos admits, tearing up as he finally speaks the words he's never said. "My mom has been hitting me since I was a kid. I thought it was normal for a while, but I saw how your parents treated you guys and… I realized that I must be worse than you. I've done something wrong, because otherwise people wouldn't hurt me so much. Even after I came to school, through elementary and middle school most people seem to have it out for me. And I guess for them it's because I can't fight back, but still it kind of feels like I'm being punished. I just wish someone would tell me what I did that was so wrong? Was it when I was a baby? Did it make my dad leave me with _her_?" Carlos is sobbing and shaking by this point, not even looking at Jay anymore.

Jay pulls Carlos against him and hugs him firmly, but not so hard as to hurt him. He doesn't trust his voice yet, so for now he rocks Carlos back and forth, gently rubbing his back in slow circles. Finally when Carlos's tears have slowed to sniffling and Jay feels like he isn't about to cry or throw up, he pulls back just a bit. Jay gently lifts Carlos's chin so their eyes meet. "You have never done anything wrong. You are not being punished for something you did when you were younger, I promise. You are the best person I know Carlos. And although that's not supposed to be a good thing… Look, I just know you aren't being punished. The people who hurt you are bullies. More than that, they're-"And he let out a few more curse words. "But they don't even matter. What they think and what they do is wrong. So I'm going to stop them."

Carlos stares up at Jay in amazement. "Why? Why would you help me?"

Jay opens his mouth and almost admits his own biggest secret. He wants to tell the smaller boy that he thinks he's the most beautiful thing in the world. He wants to say that every time Carlos smiles it feels like someone is saying "there is a heaven". He wants to say that if he could keep Carlos next to him and safe forever, then he would. He wants to say that Carlos's laugh is the best music he's ever heard and that his hair is the softest thing to ever touch his skin.

But they're on the Isle. Maybe, if they lived in Auradon where people care and understand, he would have said those things. Maybe he will in the future. But not now, now when he's just learned how difficult Carlos's life is. He can't make it worse by throwing in a bi best friend. Besides, Carlos might not even like him.

So he swallows it all down and smiles his classic smile, the one he uses when he flirts with girls to get something. "Because you're my friend C. For a genius you sure can be stupid sometimes. I'll always help you. I've got your back"

And Carlos smiles back. He smiles big and wide and his eyes light up. Jay feels like there's a swarm of bats in his stomach and his heart has taken up a new address in his throat. Yeah, there's a heaven. And it's in Carlos de Vil's eyes.

 **AN: Hey guys! So remember when I said you could request Jaylos fanfics or alternate letters? I'll be putting them all here. This one, b for bullied, was requested by a Guest! I hope you liked it!**


	2. Chapter 2

Alternate Jaylos Fear

It's common knowledge that Carlos has a lot of fears and anxieties. Since moving to Auradon his fear of dogs has decreased, but it's still definitely there. He's also constantly afraid of other people and has horrible flashbacks of his mother. He can be triggered by several sounds, words, and situations at any time.

Jay on the other hand appears to be fearless to most people. He's big, strong, and often protects Carlos. Protectors don't have irrational fears, right? Wrong! Jay is absolutely terrified of...

"SPIDER!" Carlos hears his boyfriend shriek from their shared dorm. He hurries in from the hall and shuts the door behind him, finding the larger boy on top of his desk, staring at a small black spider.

Calmly Carlos grabs a spare cup he keeps for just this reason and a piece of paper. Carefully placing the cup on top of the spider, he slides the piece of paper under it and crumples the paper up around the cup, creating a little prison for the eight legged visitor. He scoops it up and walks over to an open window (probably the spider's point of entry anyway) and moves the paper so the spider falls out of the window.

"Alright Jay, it's gone, you can come down now," Carlos says soothingly as he throws away the paper and sets down the cup. He walks over and holds up a hand to help him down. Jay takes the hand with his own shaking one and gets down hesitatingly. "What if there are more? What if it comes back? Oh my god, did you see it?! It's eight creepy eyes were staring at me, I swear!" He shudders and begins to spin around, checking his arms and legs. "I can feel something crawling on me! Carlos!"

Most people would laugh at the spectacle the former villain is making of himself, but Carlos has plenty of experience with fears and knows just what to do. "There's nothing on you, I promise," he starts rubbing Jay's back gently and guides him to sit on his bed. He spends the next fifteen minutes comforting Jay and checking the room at Jay's request for more bugs. Besides spiders, Jay is petrified of wasps after a nasty incident when he was seven. Finally Jay calms down and gives Carlos a sheepish smile. "Thanks C. Looks like you're my knight in shining armor again."

Carlos waves off the praise with a grin of his own. "Don't even mention it babe."

…

No one besides Carlos is aware of Jay's bug problem, not even Mal or Evie. Somehow it's never come up around anyone before, or if it does he quickly excuses himself and spends the next half an hour hiding. They managed to continue this arrangement of Carlos protecting Jay from the Isle to Auradon, but once they reached Auradon it became a little harder to conceal, until one day Jay was walking in the garden with Ben, Mal, and Evie, on their way to meet Carlos and Lonnie for lunch.

Everyone was talking and laughing when suddenly Jay froze, a look of complete terror on his face.

"Jay? What's wrong?" A very concerned Evie asked.

"W-w-wasp…" Jay replied quietly, his eyes never leaving the offending bug that was buzzing around a flower near his calf. It landed on his brightly colored shirt a second later and he flinched as though he was just kicked in the stomach. He didn't move or make a sound, but tears from panic came to his eyes.

"Jay, it's okay, it's just a bug," Ben said, not comprehending how serious this is.

Mal quietly shushed Ben before turning back to the frightened boy before her. "Jay? What can we do to help?"

"Need C-Carlos…" Jay managed to get out in a trembling voice. A second wasp had noticed the first one and started buzzing around his legs. Jay started shaking violently even as he tried to stay still. His mind was flashing back to having hundreds of these tiny creatures buzzing around him in a swarm and stinging him over and over and over-

"Carlos! Carlos, come quick, over here!" Evie called out as she spotted the dual-toned hair from across the quad. She waved her arms and jumped slightly so there was no chance of him missing her.

Carlos looked up in confusion as he heard his name being called from where he was sitting with Lonnie. At first all he sees is Evie looking kind of distressed, but as he nears the group he notices Jay with the bugs on him. His eyes widen and he shoots over like a rocket. Using his bare hand he scooped the wasp off of Jay's shirt and squished it, ignoring the painful sting. Next he shooed the other one away from his legs and stood between them, shielding Jay, until it flew away.

With the threat gone Jay collapsed into Carlos's arms, too scared to even thank him yet.

"Hey, it's okay. I've got you. Nothing is going to get you while I'm here, I promise. I'll protect you, no matter what," He quietly soothed while holding Jay tightly.

"Th-thank you… I'm sorry you got hurt for me…" Jay whispers against the younger boy's shoulder.

The other boy shrugs and smiles before putting on a British accent. "'Tis merely a flesh wound!" Carlos sighed in relief as he saw a smile return to Jay's face. He was still a little shaky, but he was obviously doing a lot better than he had been a few minutes ago.

The two boyfriends heard someone clear their throat from behind them and turned to look at their worried group of friends. "What just happened?" Mal asked, trying to keep the concern in her voice to a minimum.

Carlos looked up at Jay with a supportive smile. "Do you want me to tell them, or do you?"

"I think I probably should," Jay sighed and then looked up in embarrassment at the purplette. "Ever since I was a kid, I've had a huge fear of…" He swallowed thickly. "Spiders and wasps. Let's just say I had some bad experiences with both of them. I didn't want to tell any of you because, well… It's humiliating. I mean, I know they're just tiny little bugs and I shouldn't be afraid of them, but I can't help it after dad would put me in the cupboard with all those spiders crawling on me and-" He cut himself off and started to breathe raggedly again. Carlos placed a hand on his back and rubbed it comfortingly. Jay looked over at him and calmed down a little. "A-anyway, I'd really appreciate it if we could just pretend this didn't happen and go eat lunch."

"Of course Jay, anything you want," Evie said, still looking and sounding like a mother who's baby had just stepped on a piece of glass. As the group started making their way over to the table Lonnie was saving again (this time with three out of five keeping a sharp lookout for wasps while the other two stuck close together) Jay leaned over to whisper to Carlos. "I really am sorry about freaking out."

"Like I said, it's perfectly okay. How about this, I'll make sure to panic over something really stupid tomorrow and you can save me, deal?" He grinned impishly.

Jay chuckled and gently pecked Carlos's lips. "It's a date."

 **AN: Alright, so admittedly no one requested this, but I had the idea and just had to write it! Hopefully I'll post more of A-Z soon instead of just writing whatever I feel like, yeah? Anyway, I love the idea of Jay having fears too; I mean he is human after all. I hope you liked it! Feel free to request Jaylos fics (I can do backround pairings as well I'm sure).**


	3. Chapter 3

Alternate Jaylos Anniversary

Carlos leans on his boyfriend's locker, waiting for him to arrive. There's a present wrapped in pink in his arms and a nervous smile on his face. When Jay finally arrives, giving him a peck on the cheek, Carlos pushes the box into his arms. "Happy one year anniversary!" Carlos says happily.

Jay looks down at the gift and then back up at Carlos in confusion. "One year?"

Carlos's face falls and his heart sinks. Jay doesn't even remember when their first date was. _Maybe I'm being ridiculous, or maybe he just doesn't want to celebrate our anniversaries. Maybe I'm not that important to him…_ "One year since our first date," he says as he clears his throat. "D-don't you remember?"

"Well yeah I remember our first date, but-"

"Ha, fooled you!" Carlos says quickly, doing the first thing that comes into his head. "I mean, who would make a big deal about a year of dating, right? That would be ridiculous." He sounds upset and he knows it, his voice trembling as he tries to force a laugh. He's slowly backing away and Jay reaches out towards him.

"Wait, babe, that's not-"

"No, no, seriously, you can just throw that thing away, it's an empty box. Ha, hilarious, anniversaries are stupid, right?" He says before turning and running away down the hall.

…

Carlos spends the rest of the day alternately avoiding Jay and mentally berating himself. He spends lunch in the girl's dorm, being comforted by Evie and somewhat by Mal (she's not so good at it, but she tries).

By evening Jay is worried. He goes looking all over the school, checking their favorite spots, then finally admits defeat and asks the girls.

As soon as he walks in the door Mal begins scolding him. "Honestly, I know that we weren't raised with proper relationships, but you'd think after being Auradon for a while you'd be able to figure it out, and even if you can't you could have faked it when you saw how excited he was! How inconsiderate can you be Jay?!"

"Guys, it's not like that- Look, can you please just make sure that Carlos comes back to our room by eight? Please, for me? I want to make everything right."

The girls exchange a glance and then agree. Once Jay leaves Carlos rolls out from under Evie's bed. "Is he gone?"

"Yeah, but he wants you back at the room by eight," Mal states.

"Sounds like he has something planned," Evie remarks from by her sewing machine.

…

When eight o'clock rolls around Carlos finds himself standing in front of his own door. After a pause to prepare himself for whatever might be on the other side, he lets himself in. He finds Jay in a tuxedo, standing in front of a romantic dinner for two. There are candles and rose petals all over the room, and Jay is holding a single red rose.

Carlos blushes red and walks over to Jay, looking around the room. "You did all this… For me?"

Jay nods once and presents Carlos with the rose. "I would do anything for you, my love," he says with a grin.

"But I thought you didn't even remember our anniversary… To be honest, I thought dates weren't that important to you," Carlos says as Jay pulls out a chair for him at the table. When he sits down Jay pushes the chair back in before moving around to his own chair.

"We met for the first time on April 6th in 2001. You were two, I was three, and we met at the park. I stopped Gaston the Third from kicking sand at you and then we hid in the bushes together for hours," Jay states as he opens a bottle of sparkling cider and pours a glass for each of them. Carlos is shocked and starts to speak up, but Jay gently shushes him, implying that he's not done.

"The first time I came to your house was September 29th of 2004. You had stayed home from school and so I brought you the homework assignments. Your mom wouldn't let me in the house, so I had to climb up the rain gutter to get to your window.

The first time you came to my house was February 8th of 2005. You had heard my dad yelling at me for not stealing anything from you no matter how many times I went to your house, so you brought me one of your mother's old fur coats. You brought it even though it made your mom beat you the next day…"

Carlos stares openly as Jay is talking, he didn't know how Jay remembered all of this, nor how he knew about his mom punishing him for the fur coat.

"Now here's the important part: Our first date was July 18th of 2005. I got up at six in the morning, got a good haul for my dad, and then went out and found the prettiest weeds I could," Jay said, smiling fondly at the memory. "I mustered up my courage, and then climbed up to your window. When you opened the window, I held out the weeds. I remember hoping that you couldn't tell how much I was blushing. Then I said that love is a weakness-"

"But sometimes even the strongest are weak," Carlos finished, tears in his eyes. "I-I remember…"

"Then I asked you to go on a date with me. I stole the freshest bread I could and took you to a part of the water front where you could see Auradon, because that's the prettiest sight on the Isle. When we left I kissed your cheek and you looked at me with those big brown eyes… I could never forget it," he leans forward and brushes away a tear from Carlos's face. "A year ago today, March 12th 2015, I asked you out again. I mustered up my courage, found the freshest flowers I could, and came to our room. I told you that despite what we were raised to believe, love is not a weakness-"

"It is a strength, and we make each other stronger," Carlos finished again, smiling at the memory he had been thinking about just last night.

"Then I asked you to go on a date with me. I bought the chocolates you like so much and some of those crackers we used to have to eat on the Isle and took you to the roof of the castle so we could see the Isle. That way we could remember the old days. When we left you kissed me and every time I think about it…" Jay takes Carlos's hand and places it over his heart. Then he closes his eyes and Carlos feels his heart speed up under his palm.

Jay opens his eyes and smiles at Carlos in a way that makes his breath hitch. "I did not forget our anniversary, and dates are very important to me. I promise to never overlook our new anniversary again… But I think we should celebrate our old one too."

Carlos leans over and gives him a sweet kiss. "I think that's a great idea," He pauses for a moment and then looks straight into Jay's eyes. "I love you."

Jay grins slow and easy, a delicate smile that is reserved only for Carlos. "I love you too."

That night as they cuddle together in the same bed, Jay makes a mental note. _March 12_ _th_ _, 2016, first time we said I love you._

 **AN: This is for ao3 user frostedgoddess! Thanks for the request! You should totally check out her work, she has written some of my favorite Jaylos fics ever! I hope you liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Alternate Jaylos Careless

 **AN: This was requested by rainbiwchillpill on**

 **Trigger warning! Mentions of cutting and suicide, if that triggers you please consider not reading this. Sorry, I got a little dark in this one. Also sorry for making Chad homophobic and a bully, I needed someone with a name and he was the easiest.**

Jay sits huddled in the closet of his dorm room. He's locked the door and is crying as quietly as he can, staring at the fresh cuts he's just made on his arms. He hasn't cut since back on the Isle, but today he just can't help it. Thinking back to how the day began, a fresh flood of tears comes over him.

…

Jay's day started out badly when he woke up late. Because of that he was late for Tourney practice and got chewed out by the coach in front of his entire team. "You are supposed to be a leader here Jay! You cannot afford to be lazy and careless like this!" Jay winced, knowing he was right and promising to do better before being sent to run laps while Chad, his default, got to take his spot for the day.

Of course in the locker room Chad had to be a total jerk about it, bragging about some of the plays he pulled while shooting sideways glances at Jay. "Honestly, I just think it's someone who wants the spot _permanently_ should do, I mean unless you want to be stuck on the bench like that stupid de Vil was last season, you have to really care about the team."

At the mention of his boyfriend Jay tensed up, but managed to hold himself back. _Ignore him, he's not worth it._ He could hear the words coming from Carlos's mouth as they so often did before Jay was about to punch someone, and he almost managed to calm down, until Chad opened his mouth again.

"I'm so glad that fag is gone, it was obvious he was looking at all of us while we were changing. What a creep!" At this point the other guys were flat out ignoring Chad, since most of them were actually decent people, but that didn't stop Jay from pinning Chad up against the lockers.

"You would be lucky if someone as amazing as Carlos even so much as looked at you, you scum," Jay snarled from clenched teeth.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that his slutty boyfriend is here too. Everyone knows that "bi" means whore, Jay," Chad mocked. No one really blamed Jay for socking him in the face, but unfortunately the prince's screams brought the coach rushing in. No matter how provoked he was, the blood on Jay's hands was still punishable.

Next thing he knows he's sat in the fairy godmother's office, his hand bruised from hitting Chad in the jaw, and the Fairy Godmother frowning at him sadly. "Jay, you're better than this. You know you don't need to be physical with people anymore, next time use your words."

"Yeah, well he wasn't listening and I was tired of trying," he said bitterly.

"Dearie, you can't slip back into Isle mannerisms. You can't be so careless again. I'm afraid I have to give you two weeks detention and you are suspended from playing in the next Tourney game," she sighed while writing down the punishment.

"But FG!" He protested, standing up and stepping closer to her desk. "Please, I gotta play in the next Tourney game! It's against our biggest rivals!"

"You should have thought of that before beating up Mr. Charming," she said stonily before handing him the detention slip.

He sighed and put the slip in his pocket, walking out without as much as a backwards glance.

…

His classes passed in a blur of being reprimanded for inadequate homework ("Mr. Jay, you can't be so careless! You've been here for months now!") And being told to pay attention.

When lunch finally came he was relieved, hoping his friends would be sympathetic at least.

However when he reached their normal table, he found none of his friends there. He pulled out his phone and found three texts. Mal was eating with Ben, Evie was at some sort of Chemistry club meeting, and Carlos was tutoring Sir Leo.

That last one got under Jay's skin. Sir Leo is the son of Sir Lancelot, known for being brave, handsome, smart, and worst of all, very gay. Considering the knight's reputation he probably doesn't even need the tutoring. Visions of Sir Leo and Carlos giggling together about how stupid Jay is before making out are torturing Jay.

Jay spends lunch alone, considering whether or not Carlos would like him better if he cut his hair and started studying more.

…

After detention, Jay goes back to his shared dorm room and is happy to find Carlos there. Carlos is sitting at his desk, his back turned to Jay, tinkering with some project or another.

Jay threw his bag down by the door and flopped on his bed, groaning loudly.

"Long day?" Carlos asked without so much as looking up.

"You could say that," he said before beginning to open up about his day. He wasn't much of a talker, never has been, but since he trusted Carlos so much he wanted to try and talk out is problems.

However, Carlos was barely listening. He wasn't even being discreet about it! He just muttered "mhm" or "really?" whenever Jay stopped for breath.

Jay glared at Carlos. "Yeah, and then Jane and I made out at lunch since you ditched me."

"That's nice," was the vague response he got.

Jay got up and stomped over to the desk, turning Carlos's chair away from his work. "You're not even listening to me!"

Carlos looked surprised and a little guilty. "Sorry Jay, I was just so focused on my invention. It's going to give cat's medicine without them getting all angry and scratchy."

"But you're a dog person now…" Jay said, confused and suspicious.

"Yeah, I'm actually making it for Leo. He gave me the idea while I was helping him with math-"

"Leo?!" Jay exclaimed, looking hurt. "You know that guy just wants to get in your pants!"

"What, so I can't have friends unless they want me for something?" It was Carlos's turn to look wounded.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Jay said, slamming his hand down on the desk. Unfortunately this caused Carlos's machine to fall to the floor and break into about a hundred pieces. They both stared at it in silent shock for a minute before Carlos started shouting.

"Look what you've done Jay! I said I could finish it by tomorrow, and now I have to start all over again!"

"Car, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I know, you never mean to. You have to stop being so careless!" Carlos got up and stormed over to the door.

"Where are you going?" Jay asked sadly.

"I'm going out to get some new parts I need because the old ones are ruined. Maybe that will give you some time to get yourself together!" the door slammed behind him.

…

And that is how he ended up in this closet, clutching a razor blade in his hand.

He hears the dorm door open and shut and the quiet movements of Carlos moving around. At least he doesn't sound angry anymore.

"Jay?" Carlos asks quietly, but he keeps quiet, not wanting Carlos to see his weakness.

Everything went quiet as Carlos searched the room, and then even more suspiciously quiet until Jay heard Dude bark from directly outside the closet. In a second he can hear the click of the lock and then is flooded in light from the room, Carlos's small frame standing in front of him.

All Jay can do is try to quickly wipe off his tears and hide his arms. Carlos kneels down and looks Jay in the eyes. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I saw Ben in the hall and he told me about how bad your day has gone. I shouldn't have yelled at you either…"

Jay is so glad to finally here something nice that he instinctively wraps his arms around his boyfriend and pulls him close. This is a mistake, of course, because nothing can go right for Jay today.

Carlos looks down at a smudge of blood on his hand and then his eyes travel to Jay's cuts. Jay quickly screws his eyes shut, afraid of seeing pity in his eyes, or worse, disgust. He feels Carlos pull away from him and a few more tears drip out as he is sure he's about to be laughed at. Because he's weak, he's showing emotions and blaming himself and that's _weak._

Instead Carlos comes back with a first aid kit and begins patching up his cuts, surely noticing the scars of older ones too, but not mentioning them at this moment. He leaves kisses over his arms like butterflies landing and then gently wipes away his tears using his thumbs. "Why?" He whispers, the first ting he's said during this whole process.

"B-because I'm stupid and I can't do anything right and I'm so _careless_ a-and it feels like everyone's been avoiding me because they _know_ that I'm not worth the time. And then when I came back and you were talking about that Leo and I know he's so smart and handsome and you guys must get along so well, but I don't know how to be like him-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Carlos said quickly. "Whoever said you should be like Leo?"

"Well no one, but I just thought that you seem like you like him so much that if I didn't change you might… You might…" Jay can't bear to push the words out of his burning throat.

Carlos gives a shallow laugh and leans into Jay's grip again. "I would never leave you for Leo. He thinks he's the best thing ever, and have you ever stood near him? He uses _way_ too much cologne." Jay chuckles lightly, the first time he feels like he's smiled all day. "Jay, I want you. I want to be with you because I like YOU. Flaws and all. Hot head and bad grades and quick fists, I want it all."

"You really mean that? You wouldn't like me better with short hair or something?" Jay asks tenderly, looking vulnerable.

Carlos shakes his head and laughs again. "I would like you with short hair, but I like it just as much long."

With that Jay pulled Carlos to him, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck. Eventually they moved to the couch and Carlos let Jay tell him all about his day, properly paying attention and obviously staying very invested ("Chad called you a whore?! Oh my god, I'm going to kill him! I swear I'm going to-"). That night Carlos fell asleep in Jay's arms, and Jay watched his sleeping face for a while, admiring how angel like he is when asleep.

 _Maybe I am careless about some things,_ he thought to himself. _But I care a whole lot about you._

 **AN: I… I dunno. I wrote this in like an hour. Happy New Year?**


	5. Chapter 5

Alternate Jaylos Game/Goal

 **AN: This is for JKelly on ao3! Sorry it's so short, I just wanted to whip up a little something.**

"My boyfriend is an athlete," Carlos will proudly tell anyone who will listen. He likes to tell them all about how he goes to every Tourney game to cheer on his sporty boyfriend, how he got MVP even in their first year at Auradon Prep, and how this last year he made the winning goal in the championship game.

This usually leads to people asking why he himself quit the Tourney team after his first season, seeing as he seems to like the game so much. This leads to Carlos laughing and informing them that he is definitely _not_ sporty. He can run like the wind and dance like no one's business, but if you throw a ball at him he's more likely to duck than catch it.

And maybe he still goes to practices sometimes to secretly watch his boyfriend work out because when he's running and jumping he looks so beautiful that it actually hurts.

And maybe he goes on morning runs with him sometimes, despite the fact that he hates waking up early and hates exercise even more, just because it makes his boyfriend so happy.

And maybe he feels a little jealous every once in a while of how his boyfriend seems to be good at just about everything that matters and that because of Tourney girls are constantly flirting with _his_ Jay.

But then Jay will run up to him after practice and ask him honestly what he thought of "that last play". The way his eyes sparkle with pride and adoration when Carlos gives compliments is enough to make everything okay.

But then Jay will stay up late to help him work on a project, even though they both know that Jay will be up early the next morning and hates doing anything academic. His dedication and fascination with things he would usually detest is enough to make everything okay.

But then Jay will be asked to make a speech at a benefit dinner and after thanking the team, and the coach, and anyone else he might have written in, he points at Carlos and thanks him because he wouldn't be here without him. And the way that everyone in that room knows just from the look they give each other that they are in love is enough to make everything so incredibly okay.

…

"My boyfriend is a scholar," Jay will proudly tell anyone who will listen. He likes to tell them all about how he goes to every chess match to cheer on his smart boyfriend, how he became robotics club president in their first year of coming to Auradon Prep, and how this last year he got straight A's, even in his advanced classes.


	6. Chapter 6

Dating Jay is kind of like dating a cat.

For one thing, he constantly needs cuddling and affection, and then other times Carlos tries to give affection and finds it was the completely wrong time. Some nights Jay will crawl into Carlos's bed and silently put his arms around him. Carlos will pull him close and gently rub his back, pretending he doesn't feel how tense his boyfriend is. Then the next morning Carlos wakes up to an empty bed. When he tries to ask about it, Jay pulls away from him, all smiles and changing the subject.

Another thought is how Jay walks and acts. He _struts_ like he owns the place, like he could get anyone in the room (and often he probably could. He holds himself with the self-confidence and grace of a cat. He jumps onto and off of high things, and if you've ever seen him in a fight, you know he's willing to use his claws, especially if his family is in trouble (family being Carlos, Evie, and Mal).

A little fact that crosses Carlos's mind that makes him smile is that he definitely acts like a mother cat sometimes, pulling Carlos out of danger by the back of the neck and carrying him off to safety. That sounds like a metaphor, but at times it is often literal. If Carlos is about to get in a fight with someone (which happens quite a lot if someone dares insult his boyfriend, his best friends, or his DOG) then Jay will catch him by the back of the collar and drag him back. If Carlos keeps trying Jay scoops him up bridal style and carries him back to their room before he can do anything he regrets. Of course at first people made fun of Carlos for this, but they soon stopped when Jay or Carlos himself got to him (Jay can't always be around to protect the other guys).

Finally, there's the gift giving. You know how cats will leave a dead bird on your doorway because they think you're too stupid to feed yourself? Well it's not uncommon for Carlos to wake up with a part he was looking for, or a new jacket, or a box of chocolates on the end of his bed. Usually this is followed with Jay blushing and mumbling some excuse before finding somewhere else to be. Carlos thanks him for the part he needed and Jay blushes and mumbles about how he "obviously couldn't find it himself and was staying up too late doing it, not letting me get any sleep" before hurrying off to do some training. Carlos tries on his new jacket and smiles at Jay in the mirror. Jay blushes right through his ears and mutters that he "is so cold all the time and he needs to take better care of himself, honestly" before running off to find the library. When Carlos finds the chocolates he sits down with Jay and shares them with him. Jay blushes as Carlos sucks a bit off chocolate off his thumb and can't even find the words for an excuse. Instead he just leans in and kisses the chocolate off his mouth.

If you asked Jay, he'd tell you that dating Carlos is kind of like dating a mouse. What does that say about their relationship? They have no idea.

 **AN: Sorry I haven't updated in so long, school is just killing me right now! I hope you guys like this short little thing, and please let me know if you'd like a second part where we find out exactly how Carlos is like a mouse. :)**


	7. Fight

"I just don't understand how you can be so obtuse!" Carlos screams at his best friend, tears in his eyes.

"There's the big words again! You've always thought you're so much better than me!" Jay yells back with equal fire.

How did they even get here? Just a few days ago everything was normal…

…

"…And then he says, that's no kindergartner, that's my wife!" Carlos laughs at the end of Jay's story, which makes his stomach flutter lightly. "Well C, I've gotta go get a book for this stupid history report. I'll see you back at the room."

"Yeah, see you!" Carlos stops at this locker to grab a few things he'll need for homework. As he transfers things into his bag, a female voice piped up from behind him.

"He's never going to realize you like him, is he?" He whirled around to see a vaguely familiar girl standing before him. "After all, he's been dating girl after girl, breaking hearts right and left. Why would yours be any different?"

"What are you talking about?" Carlos says, completely confused.

The girl rolls her eyes as though it's obvious. "Well, you clearly have a thing for him. It's kind of rude of him to not even acknowledge your feelings or anything. I'd even call it mean."

"Well, I just- I mean- I think it isn't so obvious to him, but if it was, I'm sure he'd talk to me about it. He's never mean to me." Carlos states firmly before slinging his bag over his shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go feed Dude."

Nevertheless, as he walks away the girl's comments start to fester in his brain. After all, Jay had dated half their grade so far. How could he be so oblivious to the girl's feelings?

…

As Carlos dwells on this encounter, across the campus Jay has one of his own.

Jay searches through a shelf of books silently, trying to find the one he needs.

"Looking for this?" A girl holds the book out to him from the end of the row.

He blinks and nods, smiling. "Yeah, thanks, I was just looking for that one!" He looks her over naturally, in a way that makes you wonder whether he's looking at her or her valuables. "I don't believe we've been introduced. The name's Jay." He says with a killer smile.

She doesn't seem affected however. "Oh trust me, I know. I've been to all of your games; I have some friends on the cheer squad."

"Oh! Do you know Carlos then? He's kind of new to the squad, but he's great at it."

"He really is. It's a pity he's so different than you, otherwise you two would make a great couple." She says casually.

"Different from me? What do you mean?" Jay frowns in confusion.

"Well, you know, he's just a little more focused on studies than you."

"You mean he's smarter? Well yeah, everyone knows that, but that's okay. He's the brains, I'm the brawns. We go well together. Besides, he worked hard for his smarts, and he really is a genius. Right now he's inventing this thing-"

"What I mean is it's too bad he thinks he's so much smarter than you." She interrupts, sensing that he could go on for quite a while about his crush.

"Oh… He never acts better than me though. I guess sometimes he uses big words he knows I won't understand, but I don't think he does it to be mean or anything."

The girl gave him a pitying look that made his stomach turn unpleasantly. "Well, thanks and all, but I have to go now." He said before practically running to the checkout counter. Even though he had defended Carlos, he was a little worried. Does Carlos really think he's better than Jay? Probably not, but he might be right after all.

…

From there both spiraled into their own thoughts, so by the time they met in their room an hour later, the air was tense. The room was silent except for the sound of Carlos's pencil scratching across the page. Jay was supposed to be working as well, but he wasn't even trying to pay attention, instead watching how fast Carlos thinks of answers and writes them down. _He's so smart, and I'm just a dumb jock,_ Jay thought sadly.

"Jay, we need to talk," Carlos said, startling Jay out of his reverie.

"Yeah, I guess we do," Jay said after a moment, preparing to hear that Carlos too had realized how much better he is.

"Look, Jay, it's just that- You can't keep dating around like this, it's not good for you or for all of these girls. Besides, maybe someone who really likes you won't even try because you dump everyone so fast. I just don't think-"

"Excuse me, who said you get to control my dating habits?" Jay said with anger. Sure, he likes Carlos, maybe even loves him, but he does not like being told what to do. "Just because you're smarter than me, doesn't mean you can tell me what to do, okay?!"

"Who ever said I was better than you?" …

And here they are an hour later, their fight still going strong. It's not the worst fight they've ever had, after all in hindsight they hadn't necessarily been friends for a few years so much as allies or acquaintances.

"I have never thought I was better than you, Jay! I don't even understand where you got that stupid idea in your head!"

"So now I'm stupid!"

"No, that's not what I said! Just because an ideas stupid doesn't mean you are!"

"Sure, gotta dumb it down for me, right? Because I'm so obtuse?"

"You know what, you are obtuse! You are obtuse and oblivious and blind!" Carlos said, stepping closer to Jay and jabbing his chest with each word.

Jay backed up until he hit one of the walls. "Oh yeah, what am I so blind about, huh? Your perfect grades or your perfect record or-"

"Just stop dating around, okay?! You're hurting a lot of girls and-"

"Why do you care who I date?!"

"Because!" Carlos splutters slightly.

"Because you think you need to control my life so I don't make a mess of it? Let me tell you Carlos, I can make my own-"

"BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU!" Carlos screams before clapping a hand over his mouth, obviously surprised.

Jay is no less surprised, staring with large brown eyes at the younger boy in front of him. "Really?" He asks, his voice suddenly quiet.

Carlos is struck by the sudden urge to run fast, like his life depends on it, but he fights back every instinct and instead nods his head slowly.

Jay breaks into the largest, goofiest grin ever. "I love you too," he says breathlessly, pulling Carlos into a hug.

"What? Why didn't you say anything?" Carlos asks incredulously, wrapping his arms around Jay's neck.

"I never thought you'd go for me!"

"Ah, is that where all this "I'm better than you" stuff came from?"

"No, actually," Jay blushes, remembering how silly they were being just a few moments before. "Actually, some girl came up to me in the library and was talking to me about it."

"Some girl? That's interesting, some girl came up to me at my locker, right after you left and was talking to me about your dating habits." Carlos furrows his brow in a look of confusion that Jay finds absolutely adorable. He leans down on an impulse and captures Carlos's lips with his own, smiling at the surprised squeak that comes from his partner.

…

Off in another dorm, two girls high five, thinking their plan to separate Jay and Carlos so they can date them is working perfectly. Boy were they in for a surprise.

 **Bonus points if you know what Jay's punchline is from.**


	8. Animals part 2

Alternate Jaylos Animals Part 2:

If you asked Jay, he'd tell you that dating Carlos is kind of like dating a mouse.

I mean, first of all he's shy and smaller than all of the rest of the VKs. He's also always been kind of mousy, way more focused on his books and inventions than he ever was in being properly evil. A lot of people on the Isle would also say he was never interested in doing anything physical, but that's never been true. There's a very select group of people who grew up with Carlos who know just what a gift his dancing is – Heck, the kid's never lost a dance battle! Just like a mouse, he's full of surprises.

Plus mice (and rats, yeah yeah) are used for experiments in labs because they're so whip smart. And you don't need to use cheese (or chocolate) to lure Carlos through a maze, the longing for answers are enough for him. He'll solve any puzzle he's faced with, and just like some mice, he certainly has spent lots of time in the lab.

He's also been thrown under the bus, just like mice. After all, despite the fact that they're cute, small, and usually just trying to survive, people put out deadly traps for them all of the time. People scream if they see them coming, and sometimes will even get cats just to try and rid themselves of the mice. Someone had once tried to do that with Jay and Carlos. Clayton was in the information and goods gathering business on the Isle because he had managed to smuggle in the parts for a computer and then put it back together. However, a simple computer was no match for Carlos who often wanted some of the info he had, or else was forced to get it by other people. Clayton printed all of his files and deleted them off the computer. He also hired Jay to protect the files, because he knew that even physical copies wouldn't be safe from the nimble son of Cruella. What Clayton didn't know was that Jay, although being tough and big and generally an unbreakable wall of muscle, had a soft spot for the white-haired boy. At the time Carlos was thirteen and Jay fourteen (going on fifteen thank you very much).

When Carlos slipped through a window on the third floor, Jay was waiting for him, but stopped dead in his tracks. Not that anyone could have guessed, but Jay had a MAJOR school-boy crush on Carlos. Carlos wasn't even aware of it, but he did know that Jay was staring at him in a hungry, star struck sort of way at that very moment. Never one to let an opportunity slide, Carlos batted his eyelashes and leaned in a little too close to Jay – And off he went with the files safely in his bag. Clayton was furious, but Jay's secret was safe with the threat that he'd rob him blind. Not long after Carlos and Jay were the best of friends, although neither brought up that meeting again.

Finally, mice startle easily. Ever had a pet mouse in an atrium? You know how you're not supposed to tap the glass? Well Jay learned pretty quickly not to tap Carlos's metaphorical glass. He'd jumped out at Carlos once, intending to just scare him, and Carlos had punched him right in the nose before leaving a scratch down his cheek and a bite mark on his arm. Carlos had been a little embarrassed after, but mostly angry. Everyone _knows_ he's jumpy, Jay! Another time Jay had frightened Carlos late at night with a pretty real impression of a dog, and Carlos had burst into tears. That scared Jay a lot more than when Carlos had attacked him. Worst of all, Carlos hadn't spoken to him for a month after that! He had iced him out completely! After that Jay learned not to scare Carlos.

Jay isn't sure how this game of cat and mouse started, but if he had to be a cat for someone, he sure is glad it's Carlos.


End file.
